At one point near the end of the legislative session that has just ended, Governor Schwarzenegger promised to veto every bill reaching his desk, unless the Legislature adopted a “water reform” package he wanted. Since the Legislature did not enact any “water reform” package, much less the one the Governor wanted, we now get to see if the Governor will make good on his threat, or whether it was just one more case of political posturing.

The fate of Assembly Bill 666, by Assembly Member Dave Jones, hangs in the balance. Assembly Bill 666 has been “enrolled,” which means that it has been passed by the Legislature, but it won’t become law unless it receives the Governor’s signature. I’ve put a link to the text of the bill below. AB 666 should be of interest to those who see land use policy as a way to help prevent future wildfire disasters. Frequent listeners may remember that I talked about this several weeks ago.

If the Governor signs AB 666, local governments will not be able to approve a new subdivision in an area where the state has responsibility for fire protection, or in a very high fire hazard severity zone, without making three special findings intended to ensure that there will be adequate fire protection available. This bill is a small, but important, step forward, and it will be a shame if the Governor doesn’t sign it.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

AB 666 as Enrolled
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/
ab_0651-0700/ab_666_bill_20090911_enrolled.pdf

Transcript of the Land Use Report for August 21, 2009
http://www.kusp.org/landuse/2009/08/17.html

Mid County Post Article on the Lockheed Fire
http://www.mcpost.com/article.php?id=2128&PHPSESSID
=7d8b23e647808ab81100a07c079426e4

Sierra Nevada Alliance Website
http://www.sierranevadaalliance.org/

Dangerous Development: Wildfire and Rural Sprawl in the Sierra Nevada
http://www.sierranevadaalliance.org/publications/
publication.shtml?type=pgm02

People Power, a local nonprofit that works to improve transportation options for bicyclists, among other things, is urging its members to show up at a meeting this evening, to advocate for bicycle paths and bicycle safety programs. As usual, you can get more information below.

The meeting this evening runs from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and will be held at the Congregational Church of Soquel, Parish Hall, 4951 Soquel Drive. This is one of a series of meetings hosted by the Redevelopment Agency, to get direct input on how the Agency should spend its funds to build a better Soquel and Live Oak. Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Leopold, who represents the Soquel and Live Oak areas, has been doing an admirable job of stimulating real community involvement in these important funding decisions. I join People Power in urging you to attend the meeting tonight.

In its advertisement of the meeting, the Redevelopment Agency highlights the following topics: Youth Activities and Community Facilities, Public Safety, and Safe Walking and Biking Routes. Making communities “better,” means finding ways to address all these issues. It’s not often that the government itself attempts to stimulate community involvement. We’re lucky that way in Santa Cruz County. Don’t miss your chance to help shape the future of Mid-County.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

People Power Website
http://peoplepowersc.org/

Santa Cruz Redevelopment Agency Workshop Schedule
http://www.buildastrongersoquelandliveoak.com/workshopsched.html

Redevelopment Agency Website Home Page
http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/red/

The City of Santa Cruz and the Soquel Creek Water District are moving ahead with plans for a desalination plant. A public information meeting will be held next Thursday evening, September 24th, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the New Brighton Middle School’s Performing Arts Center, in Capitola. Building and operating a desalination plant could have very significant impacts not only on the future of land use in Santa Cruz County, but also on your personal water bill, if you happen to live within the City of Santa Cruz water service area, or within the boundaries of the Soquel Creek Water District. If you’d be affected, I hope you’ll mark your calendar and plan to come.

There has been some debate about what the “purpose” of a desalination plant would be. If such a plant were built, it would provide increased water supplies in drought years, and would also provide water to help offset the groundwater overdraft occurring within the boundaries of the Soquel Creek Water District. A desalination plant would also provide water for new growth, and is specifically intended to provide a water supply for the growth of the UCSC campus. Currently, the University and City are jointly seeking LAFCO approval for an extension of City water service to the UCSC “North Campus” area, converting the natural character of the area by allowing the University to construct over 3,000,000 square feet of new buildings. There is more information in the transcript of today’s Land Use Report.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

Agenda for September 24, 2009 Informational Meeting
http://www.scwd2desal.org/Page-Project-phases
_Informational_Meeting_092409.php

An online presentation on desalination by Santa Cruz resident Rick Longinotti
http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=0AahJI
WyES6A9ZGZidmhxbTNfMmRnZ2hzZ2d3&hl=en

The Director of the City of Santa Cruz Water Department has repeatedly said that a desalination plant would not be used to support “new growth,” but his statements are totally inconsistent with the UCSC-City of Santa Cruz “Settlement Agreement,” in which the City specifically says that it “intends” to build a desalination plant (in multiple phases) to support growth at UCSC and within its system generally. You can evaluate the actual language of the agreement yourself. It’s quoted in the attached letter.

September 11, 2009

Santa Cruz Weekly
www.MetroSantaCruz.com

Editor:

Repeating a misstatement doesn’t make it true. Nonetheless, continuing to say something that isn’t true can be an effective political strategy, unless the person pursuing that strategy is called to account upon every repetition.

This letter is to call to account Bill Kocher, Director of the City of Santa Cruz Water Department, who has continued to make misstatements about the City’s desalination project in the pages of the Santa Cruz Weekly.

In the August 5th issue, Mr. Kocher said: “The desalination project is in no way linked to any expansion of the UC-Santa Cruz campus.” This is simply not true, as was pointed out by Alan Holbert in the August 26th issue. Mr. Holbert accurately quoted a settlement agreement signed by the City and UCSC. That settlement agreement says: “The Santa Cruz City Water Department intends to pursue … a desalination plant … The parties agree that … Phase Two (and subsequent phases) would be implemented to accommodate future growth in system demand.”

You would think that this would have been the end of Mr. Kocher’s claim that the desalination plant is “in no way linked to any expansion of the UC-Santa Cruz campus.” However, in the September 9th issue, Mr. Kocher claims: “The proposed desalination project … is not designed, or intended, to accommodate UCSC growth….”

Mr. Kocher’s most recent misstatement pretends that the signed UCSC-City agreement doesn’t exist. It does, and it explicitly says that the City “intends” to pursue the desalination plant to “accommodate future growth.”

Gary A. Patton

References:

Weekly, August 5th
http://www.metrosantacruz.com/metro-santa-cruz/
08.05.09/letters-0931.html

Weekly, August 26th
http://www.metrosantacruz.com/metro-santa-cruz/
08.26.09/letters-0934.html

Weekly, September 9th
http://www.metrosantacruz.com/metro-santa-cruz/
09.09.09/news5-0936.html

Desalination is controversial in Santa Cruz County, and in Monterey County, and in fact everywhere. A 1993 Research Paper prepared by the staff of the California Coastal Commission outlines a number of the key issues. I’ve put a link below.

Desalination almost always has major impacts on marine resources. It also uses a lot of energy, and that is not only expensive, but is contraindicated, environmentally, in an era of global warming. The land use impacts of desalination also need to be considered. One theme of the environmental movement has always been “sustainability,” which is associated with the idea that we should restrict growth to respect the limits of the natural resources available in our region. One of those limited natural resources, of course, is water, and an “ideal” set of land use policies would manage growth so as to live within available water supplies. Desalination decouples the water supply needed for new growth from the natural water supplies existing in the region, so its growth-inducing impacts are obvious.

Presuming we can minimize damage to marine resources, and that global warming impacts can be overcome, and that we can pay for the water produced, desalination promises an infinite water supply, so the natural limit of local water supplies can be ignored.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Coastal Commission Study Paper on Desalination
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/desalrpt/dtitle.html

Additional information on desalination is available through the website of the Southern California Watershed Alliance
http://www.earthplatform.org/environment?
Terms=desalination&Search=Search

I have a tee shirt that reads: “South Ridge: For Our Children’s Future.” I got that tee shirt during a period in Santa Cruz County history when the future of the Sandhills of the San Lorenzo Valley was being debated, and when sand mining operations threatened to destroy this truly unique environment.

Tomorrow, you can learn more about this environment by taking a “Secrets of the Sandhills Walk,” led by conservation ecologist Jodi McGraw. This free nature walk is sponsored by the Valley Women’s Club and made possible through a grant from the San Lorenzo Valley Water District. The walk will take participants through the Santa Cruz Sandhills at Quail Hollow Ranch County Park. It begins at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, and will explore the unique communities, amazing diversity, and fascinating ecology of the Sandhills. It will also highlight key efforts to protect and manage this critically endangered habitat. The Sandhills support a wealth of native biodiversity, including two communities, four plants, and two insects that are found nowhere else on earth.

If you’d like to participate in this incredible nature walk, meet at Santa Cruz County’s Quail Hollow Park at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. Bring water, nibbles, and binoculars. Be prepared for a little more than two hours of walking over varied terrain, and be prepared for an extraordinary excursion!

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Sandhills Alliance Website
http://www.santacruzsandhills.com/

Jodi McGraw began her research in the Sandhills in 1993, as an undergraduate student at UC Santa Cruz. Presently, she works as a conservation ecologist, and consults on various conservation projects in the Central Coast region. For more information on the walk, contact Carol Carson at Carson@carolcarson.com.